Freeflowing alkaline detergent, and agents for the preparation thereof

ABSTRACT

A particulate alkaline detergent contains an alkaline agent and an alkali perborate hydrate and/or an alkali carbonate peroxohydrate as bleaching agent. As a result of coating at least the alkaline agent or the bleaching agent with an alkyl glycoside or an alkyl glycamide, the detergent has a low tendency to caking as well as excellent cleaning capacity. The alkyl glycoside is a C 6  -C 10  -alkyl glycoside having a degree of polymerization of 1-4, and the alkyl glycamide has formula (I), wherein R 1  is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, and R 2  is an alkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms. A bleaching agent and an alkaline agent coated with the alkyl glycoside and/or the alkyl glycamide are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a particulate alkaline detergentcontaining an alkaline agent and an alkali perborate hydrate and/or analkali carbonate peroxohydrate as bleaching agent. As a result ofcoating at least the alkaline agent or the bleaching agent with an alkylglycoside or an alkyl glycamide, the detergent has a low tendency tocaking and excellent cleaning capacity.

When stored, particulate detergents, such as machine dishwashingdetergents, easily cake, probably because weakly bound water migratesfrom one component to another, thereby forming so-called salt bridges.It is known that small amounts of chlorine isocyanurates, which are usedas bleaching agents, can prevent caking. Patent Specification DE3,818,660 A1, for instance, discloses such machine dishwashingdetergents. It has, however, been found that chlorine isocyanurates inalkaline aqueous solutions generate organic chlorine compounds, such astetrachlorine dibenzo paradioxine, which are toxic as well as notreadily biodegradable. Thus, there is every reason to avoid usingchlorine isocyanurates as bleaching agents and anti-caking agents.

Chlorine-free and comparatively environment-friendly bleaching agentsinclude alkali perborate hydrates, such as sodium perborate monohydrateand sodium perborate tetrahydrate, and alkali carbonate peroxohydrates,such as sodium carbonate peroxo-1,5-hydrate. Such agents do, however,exhibit a marked tendency towards caking, which usually is intensifiedif the bleaching agents are used together with silicate as the alkalineagent. Attempts to use surface-active agents as anti-caking agents haveonly met with limited success, since it has not been possible to combinesatisfactory anti-caking capacity with satisfactory cleaning capacitywith regard to fat, starch, protein and tea.

One object of this invention is to replace chlorine isocyanurates withmore environment-friendly bleaching agents in freeflowing alkalinedetergents, such as particulate alkaline dishwashing detergents. Anotherobject of the invention is to select the components of the detergent insuch manner that it does not contain any special anti-caking agents andis given excellent cleaning capacity.

It has been found that these objects are achieved by using alkylglycosides or glycamides as a combined surface-active agent andanti-caking agent. More specifically, the invention relates to aparticulate alkaline detergent containing a conventional complexingagent, characterised in that it further contains

a) 0.05-10% by weight, preferably 0.05-4% by weight, and most preferably0.2-2.5% by weight of a C₆ -C₁₀ -alkyl glycoside having a degree ofpolymerisation of 1-4, a glycamide of formula ##STR1## wherein R₁ ishydrogen or an alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, and R₂ is an alkylgroup having 6-10 carbon atoms, or a mixture thereof,

b) 10-80% by weight, preferably 20-70% by weight of a water-solubleinorganic alkaline agent, and

c) 1-80% by weight, preferably 1-20% by weight, and most preferably3-15% by weight of an alkali perborate hydrate and/or an alkalicarbonate peroxohydrate, at least one of components b) and c), and,optionally, other components of the detergent, being coated withcomponent a). In a preferred embodiment, both the alkaline agent b) andthe bleaching chemicals c) are surface-coated with component a),suitably together with other components, such as the complexing agent. Asuitable coating is obtained by dissolving the alkyl glycoside or theglycamide in a solvent, e.g. water and/or ethanol, and is sprayed onto apowder of the components to be coated, whereupon the thus-sprayed powderis dried in a manner known per se. Also other conventional processes ofcoating may be employed.

If only one of components b) and c) is coated with alkyl glycoside orglycamide, the content thereof may become so low that anothersurface-active agent should be added to the detergent to give thedesired cleaning capacity. Apart from adding more alkyl glycoside orglycamide, other surface-active agents can be added, such as amphotericcompounds, non-ionic compounds or mixtures thereof, or a mixture ofnon-ionic and anionic compounds. If the detergent is a dishwashingdetergent, low-foaming surface-active agents or mixtures of such agentsshould be used. Supplementary surface-active agents may also be added toadapt, and thereby optimise, the detergent to different applications.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,127 discloses the use of alkyl glycosides inparticulate detergent compositions. In this case, the alkyl glycoside isto contribute to reducing the viscosity and increasing the homogeneityof the aqueous slurry to be spray-dried. Further, DE-A1-3,925,858discloses the coating with an alkyl glycoside of a chemically andphysiologically inert carrier which in water is neutral or weaklyalkaline. However, these patent specifications do not provide anyguidance on how to avoid caking in a particulate alkaline compositionaccording to the invention.

The specific alkyl glycosides used in the invention have an alkyl groupwith 6-10 carbon atoms and a degree of polymerisation of 1-4.Conveniently, the length of the alkyl chain and the degree ofpolymerisation are so chosen that the alkyl glycoside obtains a HLBvalue of 16-21. Preferably, the alkyl group has 7-9 carbon atoms and thedegree of polymerisation is 1.0-2.0. In detergent compositions accordingto the invention, such alkyl glycosides have been found to giveexcellent cleaning capacity, suitable foaming, and a low tendencytowards caking. Suitable alkyl groups include n-heptyl, 2-ethyl hexyl,n-octyl, isononyl, n-nonyl and n-decyl.

In the glucamide, R₂ conveniently is n-heptyl, 2-ethyl hexyl, isononyl,n-nonyl and n-decyl, and R₁ conveniently is methyl or ethyl.

As water-soluble alkaline agents, use is primarily made of sodiumsilicates, sodium carbonates, sodium borates and sodium hydroxide ormixtures thereof. Preferably, use is made of sodium silicate, optionallycombined with sodium carbonate. In strongly alkaline dishwashingdetergents, i.e. detergents that give a pH exceeding 11, preferablyexceeding 11.5, in a 1% aqueous solution, use is conveniently made of analkaline agent of which at least 50% by weight is a sodium meta-silicatewith or without hygroscopic water. For weakly alkaline dishwashingdetergents, i.e. dishwashing detergents that have a pH below 11,preferably 9-11, in a 1% aqueous solution, use is preferably made of analkaline agent of which at least 10% by weight is a sodium silicate inwhich the molar ratio of SiO₂ to Na₂ O is 1.0-3.5, preferably 2.0-2.4.Advantageously, these silicates are combined with alkaline buffers, e.g.sodium hydrogen carbonate. The cleaning capacity of weakly alkalinedetergents may further be enhanced by an addition of enzymes, since thestability of the enzymes is not affected by the bleaching agents used inthe invention or by the moderately alkaline pH. Suitable enzymes areamylases and proteases.

Usually, the alkali perborate hydrate and the alkali carbonateperoxohydrate are sodium compounds, such as sodium perboratemonohydrate, sodium perborate tetrahydrate and sodium carbonateperoxo-1,5-hydrate. If desired, the two bleaching agents can be mixedwith one another, but sodium perborate monohydrate is usually preferredas bleaching agent owing to its excellent stability and costeffectiveness.

Suitably, component c) is coated with at least some of component a) in aseparate step, it being possible to apply comparatively large amounts ofcomponent a) on the bleaching agents making up component c). Thisresults in a satisfactory anti-caking effect, since the bleaching agentsmaking up component c) belong to those components of the detergent thatform salt bridges. Thus, the present invention also concerns aparticulate bleaching agent consisting of an alkali perborate hydrateand/or an alkali carbonate peroxohydrate and coated with 0.5-20% byweight, preferably 0.5-10% by weight, and most preferably 1-5% by weightof a C₆ -C₁₀ -alkyl glycoside having a degreee of polymerisation of 1-4and/or a glycamide of formula (I).

Also the particulate alkaline agent may advantageously be coated withcomponent a), since this agent markedly contributes to the formation ofsalt bridges. Thus, the present invention also concerns a particulate,water-soluble and inorganic alkaline agent coated with 0.2-10% byweight, preferably 0.2-5% by weight, and most preferably 0.5-2.5% byweight of a C₆ -C₁₀ -alkyl glycoside having a degree of polymerisationof 1-4 and/or a glycamide of formula (I). Preferably, at least 10% byweight of the alkaline agent is a sodium silicate.

The complexing agent may be inorganic as well as organic. Suitablecomplexing agents include polymeric inorganic phosphates, such astripolyphosphates and pyrophosphates; organic compounds, such as nitrilotriacetates, ethylene diamine tetraacetates and phosphonates; andmulti-functional carboxylic acids, such as citrates. Other complexingagents are zeolites and carboxylate-group-containing polymers, such aspolyacrylates. Polyphosphates are the most common complexing agents, butthe use of polyphosphates is being questioned owing to their fertilisingeffect on watercourses. By using a perborate as bleaching agent, it ispossible to considerably reduce the polyphosphate content withoutimpairing the cleaning capacity of the detergent. Usually, thecomplexing agent makes up 10-40% of the particulate detergent.

Apart from the components indicated above, the detergent according tothe invention may contain a number of other common additives, such ascolouring agents, defoamers, solubilising agents, perfume,anti-redeposition agents, such as cellulose derivatives andwater-soluble fillers. The content of these additives may vary withinwide limits, but usually is 0-20% by weight of the detergent.

Strongly alkaline particulate dishwashing detergents according to theinvention suitably have the following composition:

    ______________________________________                                        Component              % by weight                                            ______________________________________                                        Complexing agent, preferably                                                                         10-35                                                  sodium tripolyphosphate                                                       C.sub.8 -alkyl glycoside (degree of                                                                  0.5-2.5                                                polymerisation of 1.0-2.0)                                                    or C.sub.8 -alkyl glycamide                                                   Alkaline agents of which at least                                                                    35-80                                                  50% by weight is sodium meta-                                                 silicate                                                                      Sodium perborate monohydrate and/or                                                                   3-15                                                  sodium carbonate peroxo-1,5-hydrate                                           Other components        0-15                                                  ______________________________________                                    

Weakly alkaline particulate dishwashing detergents according to theinvention suitably have the following composition:

    ______________________________________                                        Component              % by weight                                            ______________________________________                                        Complexing agent, preferably                                                                         20-50, preferably                                      sodium tripolyphosphate,                                                                             20-40                                                  polycarboxylate, sodium                                                       citrate                                                                       C.sub.8 -alkyl glycoside (degree of                                                                  0.5-8, preferably                                      polymerisation of 1.0-2.0)                                                                           0.5-2.5                                                or C.sub.8 -alkyl glycamide                                                   Alkaline agent of which at least                                                                     5-70, preferably                                       10% by weight is a sodium sili-                                                                      10-60                                                  cate having a SiO.sub.2 :Na.sub.2 O ratio                                     of 2.0-2.4                                                                    Sodium perborate monohydrate and/                                                                    3-40, preferably                                       or sodium carbonate peroxo-1,5-                                                                      3-15                                                   hydrate                                                                       Other components       2-30, preferably                                                              5-20                                                   ______________________________________                                    

The invention will now be illustrated in more detail with the aid of thefollowing Examples.

EXAMPLES 1-5

A particulate composition consisting of 27 parts by weight of sodiumtripolyphosphate, 67 parts by weight of sodium metasilicate, 4 parts byweight of sodium carbonate and 10 parts of sodium perborate monohydratewas coated with 2 parts by weight of one of the alkyl glycosides belowor with octyl-N-methyl glucamide. The resulting dishwashing detergentcompositions and the basic formulation were tested as to caking afterstoring for 24 hours at 40° C. and 60% RH. The degree of caking wasassessed by visual inspection on a scale from 1 to 5, in which1=freeflowing, 2=freeflowing with lumps (about 25%), 3=about 50% caked,4=about 75% caked, and 5=completely caked. The following results wereobtained.

    ______________________________________                                        Example      Surface-active agent                                                                        Caking                                             ______________________________________                                        Control 1    --            2                                                  1            AG-8-1.1      1                                                  2            AG-8.sup.1 -1.1                                                                             1                                                  3            AG-8.sup.1 -1.5                                                                             1                                                  4            AG-8-2.0      1                                                  5            Octyl-N-methyl                                                                              1                                                               glucamide                                                        ______________________________________                                    

AG-8-1.1=octyl glucoside having a degree of polymerisation of 1.1.

AG-8¹ -1.1=2-ethyl hexyl glucoside having a degree of polymerisation of1.1.

AG-8¹ -1.5=2-ethyl hexyl glucoside having a degree of polymerisation of1.5.

AG-8-2.0=octyl glucoside having a degree of polymerisation of 2.0.

As appears from the results, the detergent composition of the inventionis freeflowing, whereas the pulverulent composition without alkylglycoside or alkyl glycamide exhibits tendencies towards caking.

EXAMPLES 6 AND 7

To a particulate composition consisting of 27 parts by weight of sodiumtripolyphosphate, 67 parts by weight of sodium metasilicate and 4 partsby weight of sodium carbonate was added 10 parts by weight of sodiumperborate monohydrate which had been treated with 2 parts by weight ofan alkyl glycoside. Then, caking tests as in Examples 1-5 wereperformed, yielding the following results.

    ______________________________________                                        Example        Alkyl glycoside                                                                           Caking                                             ______________________________________                                        Control 2.sup.a)                                                                             --          2                                                  Control 3.sup.b)                                                                             --          3                                                  Example 6      AG-8-1.1    1                                                  Example 7      AG-8.sup.1 -1.1                                                                           1                                                  ______________________________________                                         .sup.a) in the absence of sodium perborate monohydrate                        .sup.b) in the presence of untreated sodium perborate monohydrate.       

It is evident from the results that a freeflowing dishwashing detergentis obtained also when only the sodium perborate monohydrate is treatedwith alkyl glycoside.

EXAMPLES 8 AND 9

A pulverulent composition consisting of 27 parts by weight of sodiumtripolyphosphate, 67 parts by weight of sodium meta-silicate and 4 partsby weight of sodium carbonate was coated with 2 parts by weight of analkyl glycoside, whereupon 10 parts by weight of sodium perboratemonohydrate was added. The tendencies towards caking were established asin Examples 1-5, giving the following results.

    ______________________________________                                        Example        Alkyl glycoside                                                                           Caking                                             ______________________________________                                        Control 4.sup.a)                                                                             AG-8-1.1    1                                                  Control 5.sup.a)                                                                             AG-8.sup.1 -1.1                                                                           1                                                  Example 8      AG-8-1.1    1                                                  Example 9      AG-8.sup.1 -1.1                                                                           1                                                  ______________________________________                                         .sup.a) without bleaching agent                                          

It is clear from these results that a freeflowing dishwashing detergentis obtainable also when the basic composition, including alkalineagents, has been coated with alkyl glycoside, while the bleaching agentremains uncoated.

EXAMPLES 10 AND 11

A particulate composition consisting of 27 parts by weight of sodiumtripolyphosphate, 67 parts by weight of sodium metasilicate, 4 parts byweight of sodium carbonate and 10 parts by weight of sodium perboratemonohydrate was coated with 2 parts by weight of alkyl glycoside,whereupon caking tests were performed at 20° C. and 60% RH, as inExamples 1-5. For comparison, the particulate composition was testedalso in the absence of alkyl glycoside, and further tested after havingbeen coated with a conventional non-ionic alkylene oxide adduct,Plurafac LF 403. The following results were obtained.

    ______________________________________                                        Example      Surface-active agent                                                                        Caking                                             ______________________________________                                        Control 6    --            4.5                                                Control 7    Plurafac LF 403                                                                             5.0                                                Example 10   AG-8-1.1      3.0                                                Example 11   AG-8.sup.1 -1.1                                                                             1.5                                                ______________________________________                                    

It is evident from these results that the presence of alkyl glycosideaccording to the invention considerably reduces tendencies towardscaking, whereas the presence of a conventional non-ionic alkylene oxideadduct common in dishwashing detergent compositions instead intensifiestendencies towards caking.

EXAMPLES 12 AND 13

A particulate composition consisting of 27 parts by weight of sodiumtripolyphosphate, 67 parts by weight of sodium metasilicate, 4 parts byweight of sodium carbonate and 10 parts by weight of sodium perboratemonohydrate was coated with 2 parts by weight of an alkyl glycoside. Thecleaning capacity of the resulting dishwashing detergent was then testedin a household dishwasher at 55° C. with regard to starch, protein andfat. For comparative purposes, tests were also performed on theparticulate composition without alkyl glycoside. The cleaning effect wasmeasured by means of a spectrophotometer after the remaining soil hadbeen coloured with iodine. The cleaning effect was assessed on a scalefrom 1 to 10, in which 1 represents washing up with clean water, and 10represents a completely clean plate. The following results wereobtained.

    ______________________________________                                                        Cleaning effect                                               Example  Alkyl glycoside                                                                            Starch   Protein                                                                              Fat                                     ______________________________________                                        Control 8                                                                              --           8.5      5.5    3.5                                     Example 12                                                                             AG-8-1.1     9.5      7.3    10                                      Example 13                                                                             APG-8.sup.1 -1.1                                                                           9.3      6.0    10                                      ______________________________________                                    

As is apparent, the presence of alkyl glycoside considerably improvedthe cleaning capacity.

EXAMPLES 14 AND 15

A particulate composition consisting of 35 parts by weight of sodiumcitrate, 29 parts by weight of sodium disilicate, 10 parts by weight ofsodium carbonate, 13 parts by weight of sodium sulphate, 1 part byweight of magnesium sulphate, and 10 parts by weight of sodium perboratemonohydrate was coated with 2 parts by weight of alkyl glycoside. Theresulting low-alkaline dishwashing detergent was tested as to caking at20° C. and 60% RH as in Examples 1-5. The results were as follows.

    ______________________________________                                        Example        Alkyl glycoside                                                                           Caking                                             ______________________________________                                        Control 9      --          2                                                  Example 14     AG-8-1.1    1                                                  Example 15     AG-8.sup.1 -1.1                                                                           1                                                  ______________________________________                                    

It is obvious that the low-alkaline dishwashing detergent according tothe invention give freeflowing compositions, whereas the correspondingcomposition without alkyl glycoside exhibits tendencies towards caking.

EXAMPLES 16 AND 17

A particulate composition consisting of 27 parts by weight of sodiumtripolyphosphate, 67 parts by weight of sodium metasilicate, 4 parts byweight of sodium carbonate and 10 parts by weight of sodium carbonateperoxo-1,5-hydrate was coated with 2 parts by weight of an alkylglycoside in accordance with the Table below. The resulting dishwashingdetergent compositions as well as, for comparative purposes, the basicformulation proper and the basic formulation coated with a non-ionicsurface-active agent (Plurafac LF 403) were tested as to caking afterstorage for 24 hours at 40° C. and 60% RH, as in Examples 1-5. Thefollowing results were obtained.

    ______________________________________                                        Example       Surface-active agent                                                                        Caking                                            ______________________________________                                        Control 10    --            3                                                 Control 11    Plurafac LF 403                                                                             3                                                 Example 16    AG-8-1.1      1                                                 Example 17    AG-8.sup.1 -1.1                                                                             1                                                 ______________________________________                                    

It is clear that the dishwashing detergents formulated according to theinvention have much better freeflowing properties than the compositionsincluded for comparative purposes.

We claim:
 1. An alkaline detergent comprising(a) 0.05-10% by weight of acomponent selected from the group consisting of a C₆ -C₁₀ alkylglycoside having a degree of polymerization of 1-4, a glycamide offormula (I) ##STR2## wherein R₁ is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1-4carbon atoms, and R₂ is an alkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms, and amixture thereof; (b) 10-80% by weight of a water-soluble inorganicalkaline agent; (c) 3-80% by weight of an alkali perborate hydrateand/or an alkali carbonate peroxohydrate; and (d) a complexing agent;wherein at least one of components (b) and (c) is coated with component(a).
 2. The alkaline detergent of claim 1, wherein component (a) is analkyl glycoside having 7-9 carbon atoms and a degree of polymerizationof 1.0-2.0.
 3. The alkaline detergent of claim 2, wherein said detergenthas a pH greater than 11 as a 1% aqueous solution, and at least 50% byweight of said water-soluble inorganic alkaline agent is a sodiummetasilicate.
 4. The alkaline detergent of claim 2, wherein saiddetergent has a pH of 9 to 11 as a 1% aqueous solution, and at least 10%by weight of said water-soluble inorganic alkaline agent is a sodiumsilicate having a molar ratio of SiO₂ to Na₂ O of 1.0-3.5.
 5. Thealkaline detergent of claim 2, wherein component (c) is a sodiumperborate monohydrate or a sodium carbonate peroxo-1,5-hydrate.
 6. Thealkaline detergent of claim 2, further comprising supplementarysurface-active agents, enzymes or a mixture thereof.
 7. The alkalinedetergent of claim 1, comprising 0.05-4% by weight of said component (a)is selected from the group consisting of a C₆ -C₁₀ alkyl glycosidehaving a degree of polymerization of 1-4, a glycamide of formula (I),and a mixture thereof.
 8. The alkaline detergent of claim 1, comprisinga 20-70% by weight of said water-soluble inorganic alkaline agent. 9.The alkaline detergent of claim 1, comprising a 3-20% by weight of saidalkali perborate hydrate, said alkali carbonate peroxohydrate or amixture thereof.
 10. The alkaline detergent of claim 1, wherein saiddetergent has a pH greater than 11 as a 1% aqueous solution, and atleast 50% by weight of said water-soluble inorganic alkaline agent is asodium metasilicate.
 11. The alkaline detergent of claim 10, whereincomponent (c) is a sodium perborate monohydrate or a sodium carbonateperoxo-1,5-hydrate.
 12. The alkaline detergent of claim 1, wherein saiddetergent has a pH of 9 to 11 as a 1% aqueous solution, and at least 10%by weight of said water-soluble inorganic alkaline agent is a sodiumsilicate having a molar ratio of SiO₂ to Na₂ O of 1.0-3.5.
 13. Thealkaline detergent of claim 12, wherein component (c) is a sodiumperborate monohydrate or a sodium carbonate peroxo-1,5-hydrate.
 14. Thealkaline detergent of claim 1, wherein component (c) is a sodiumperborate monohydrate or a sodium carbonate peroxo-1,5-hydrate.
 15. Thealkaline detergent of claim 1, further comprising supplementarysurface-active agents, enzymes or a mixture thereof.
 16. The alkalinedetergent of claim 1, suitable for use as a dishwashing detergent,comprisinga) 0.5-2.5% by weight of a C₈ alkyl glycoside having a degreeof polymerization of 1.0-2.0, or a C₈ alkyl glycamide; b) 35-80% byweight of an alkaline agent having at least 50% by weight sodiummetasilicate; c) 3-15% by weight of a sodium perborate monohydrate,sodium carbonate peroxo-1,5-hydrate, or a mixture thereof; and d) 10-35%by weight of a sodium tripolyphosphate as a complexing agent.
 17. Thealkaline detergent of claim 1, suitable for use as a dishwashingdetergent, comprisinga) 0.5-8% by weight of a C₈ alkyl glycoside havinga degree of polymerization of 1.0-2.0, or a C₈ alkyl glycamide; b) 5-70%by weight of an alkaline agent having at least 10% by weight sodiumsilicate having a SiO₂ :Na₂ O ratio of 2.0-2.4; c) 3-40% by weight of asodium perborate monohydrate, sodium carbonate-peroxo-1,5-hydrate, or amixture thereof; and d) 20-50% by weight of a complexing agent selectedfrom the group consisting of sodium tripolyphosphate, polycarboxylate,and sodium citrate.
 18. A particulate bleaching agent suitable for usein the preparation of the detergent, comprising an alkali perboratehydrate, an alkali carbonate peroxohydrate, or a mixture thereof that iscoated with 0.5-20 parts by weight of a component selected from thegroup consisting of a C₆ -C₁₀ alkyl glycoside having a degree ofpolymerization of 1.0-4.0, a glycamide of formula (I) ##STR3## whereinR₁ is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, and R₂ is analkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms,and a mixture thereof.
 19. Theparticulate bleaching agent of claim 18, wherein said alkali perboratehydrate, said alkali carbonate peroxohydrate, or a mixture thereof iscoated with 0.5-10 parts by weight of a component selected from thegroup consisting of a C₆ -C₁₀ alkyl glycoside having a degree ofpolymerization of 1.0-4.0, a glycamide of formula (I) ##STR4## whereinR₁ is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, and R₂ is analkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms,and a mixture thereof.
 20. Aparticulate water-soluble inorganic alkaline agent suitable for use inthe preparation of a detergent, comprising a water-soluble inorganicalkaline agent that is coated with 0.2-10 parts by weight of a componentselected from the group consisting of a C₆ -C₁₀ alkyl glycoside having adegree of polymerization of 1-4, a glycamide of formula (I) ##STR5##wherein R₁ is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, and R₂is an alkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms,and a mixture thereof. 21.The particulate water-soluble inorganic alkaline agent of claim 20,wherein said water-soluble inorganic alkaline agent is coated with 0.2-5parts by weight of a component selected from the group consisting of aC₆ -C₁₀ alkyl glycoside having a degree of polymerization of 1-4, aglycamide of formula (I) ##STR6## wherein R₁ is hydrogen or an alkylgroup having 1-4 carbon atoms, and R₂ is an alkyl group having 6-10carbon atoms,and a mixture thereof.
 22. The alkaline agent of claim 20,wherein said water-soluble inorganic alkaline agent comprises a sodiumsilicate.
 23. A method of preventing a detergent composition fromcaking, comprising adding to said detergent composition a componentselected from the group consisting of a C₆ -C₁₀ alkyl glycoside having adegree of polymerization of 1-4, a glycamide of formula (I) ##STR7##wherein R₁ is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, and R₂is an alkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms,and a mixture thereof.